Maintenance-Induced Failure
A maintenance-induced failure is an equipment problem caused or accelerated by incorrect, incomplete, excessive, or poorly controlled maintenance activity.
What this term means in maintenance
A maintenance-induced failure is an equipment problem caused or accelerated by incorrect, incomplete, excessive, or poorly controlled maintenance activity.
Common causes
Maintenance-induced failures may result from:
- Wrong part
- Incorrect assembly
- Contamination
- Over-lubrication
- Under-lubrication
- Misalignment
- Loose fasteners
- Incorrect settings
- Damage during access
- Inadequate testing
Practical example
A bearing fails soon after replacement because contamination entered during installation.
Prevention
Controls include job plans, precision standards, clean work, competency, verification, checklists, and post-maintenance testing.
Investigation
Review the timing of failure, work performed, parts, measurements, procedures, and evidence.
Common mistake
Assuming every post-maintenance failure is random prevents learning from work-quality problems.
Related concepts
Related maintenance terms
Keep exploring connected CMMS, reliability, and maintenance planning terms.
Precision Maintenance
Precision maintenance is the disciplined use of accurate installation, assembly, alignment, balance, torque, lubrication, cleanliness, and measurement standards.
Maintenance Rework
Maintenance rework is additional maintenance required because earlier work was incomplete, incorrect, ineffective, or did not meet acceptance requirements.
Root Cause Analysis
Root cause analysis is a structured investigation used to identify the underlying conditions that allowed a failure or problem to occur and determine actions that reduce recurrence.
Glossary FAQs
- What is maintenance-induced failure?
A failure caused or accelerated by incorrect, incomplete, excessive, or uncontrolled maintenance.
- What are common causes of Maintenance-Induced Failure?
Wrong parts, contamination, assembly error, lubrication, misalignment, settings, and weak testing.
- How is it prevented?
Job plans, competence, precision standards, verification, cleanliness, and post-maintenance testing.